Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformated in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 27 min.

Summary:

An Interview of Kenneth Noland conducted 1987 July 1-16, by Avis Berman, for the Archives of American Art.

Noland speaks of his interest in working in series, as influenced by David Smith; the influence of other artists and art movements, and the problems caused by this influence; the Washington art scene in the 1950s; self criticism; his philosophy of drawing; subject matter and content; abstract expressionism and its development; painting and its relationship to architecture; collectors; his work in sculpture; the relationship of sculpture to his painting. He recalls David Smith, Jacob Kainen, and Clement Greenberg.

Citation:

Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Kenneth Noland, 1987 July 1-16. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Funding:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Biography Note:

Kenneth Noland (1924-2010) was a painter and educator in South Salem, N.Y., and friend of David Smith.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.